Ocean, nature, critters, and recreation

Fisheries

Jan 31, 2013

In support of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas
Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's
weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: A friend told me state Fish and Wildlife fish hatcheries are now producing and stocking triploid fish. Is this true? (Anonymous)

Answer: Yes! These vivacious, catchable, sterilized rainbow trout are produced by California Department of Fish and Wildlife fish hatcheries. Triploid fish have an extra set of chromosomes (3N) as a result of pressure treatment, combined with carefully monitored temperature and time precision during egg fertilization. The resulting fish are sterile, making them a more ecologically sound option for recreational fishing in many waters across the state. The fish perform for anglers like a diploid (fertile) fish, many grow larger than the fertile diploids, and they are increasingly being produced in other states for recreational stocking throughout the country.

In fact, new legislation that went into effect January 1, 2013 requires the CDFW to sterilize nearly all fish planted for recreational purposes. This sterilization practice has been in place for decades and requires no manipulation of the cell genomes – no genes are modified or transferred in this process. The carefully applied pressure during fertilization simply encourages the retention of an extra set of chromosomes normally in the egg but later discarded. Polyploidy (more than two sets of chromosomes) is common in the animal kingdom.

Q: The new sturgeon regulations mandate that only barbless hooks may be used when fishing for sturgeon. Does this mean it is now illegal to use two rods in waters where only barbless hooks are allowed? This doesn’t seem right. (Anonymous)

Jan 09, 2013

The situation is increasingly grim for a large pod of orcas trapped by ice in Hudson Bay in northern Quebec, near the Village of Inukjuak. At least 12 and as many as 20 orcas have been in a struggle for survival since at least Monday, trying to keep a small area free of ice so they can breathe.

Their breathing hole, about the size of a large truck, is slowly shrinking in the bitter-cold temperatures, and there was concern Wednesday that the orcas will not last through the night.

Marine mammal groups and activists have spent the past two days spreading the news and trying to persuade Canada to launch some sort of rescue effort, but as of late Wednesday all that was known for sure was that Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans was going to perform a flyover in the remote region Thursday morning.

I asked the DFO whether rumors were true about possible assistance from a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker, but was told that the agency was not aware of any such possible assistance.

On Wednesday, Inukjuak Mayor Petah Inukpuk told the Star that icebreakers were too far south and "out of reach."

"That is the only solution for any chance of survival for those killer whales, but there is none nearby at the moment," Petah said.

There are unconfirmed reports that a private company is trying to get heavy equipment to the area in the hope that it could help widen the breathing space and prevent the orcas from further panicking.

The orcas, which include mostly females and some young orcas, have spent the past two days trying desperately to keep the hole free of ice. They appear distressed and probably are weakening.

Of the video posted above, killer whale researcher Alisa Schulman-Janiger states: "If you watch the video you can see the larger orcas are spy-hopping aggressively to keep the hole open, while the smaller ones are just surfacing to breathe. They're hyperventilating and can't go on like that forever."

Aug 03, 2012

Mola mola sightings have been unusually high off Southern California this summer, to the delight of boaters who often marvel at the sight of these large and mysterious, bizarre-shaped ocean sunfish. Their surge in popularity, however, stems largely from an image captured two years ago by Daniel Botelho off San Diego.

The image, posted for the first time recently on the photographer's Facebook page, has gone viral on the Internet, was featured on this website and on GrindTv.com for Yahoo homepage. More recently, National Geographic has chimed in on the mola madness, publishing a species Q & A with Dr. Tierney Thys, founder and director of the Ocean Sunfish Tagging and Research Program. Here's what NatGeo asked, and how the expert responded:

NG: Let’s start with the basics—what exactly is a sunfish?

TT: It’s the world’s heaviest bony fish. It’s in the same order as puffer fish and porcupine fish, but it’s one of the most evolutionarily derived fishes in the sea. So, it has a cranium more like what ours looks like, along with fewer vertebrae; its spinal column is actually shorter than its brain. And they’re one of the most fecund vertebrates in the world; a 4-ft female was recorded as having an estimated 300 million eggs.

Are they endangered?

It’s unknown because they’re not commercially targeted. And as adults they don’t school; younger ones will, but as adults they become loners. So we don’t really know the status of their population.

We’ve been tagging them all over the world. They’re very vulnerable to fishermen’s nets, they get caught in huge numbers [because] they spend a lot of time lying around on top of the ocean. Some of our data is on whether that’s having an impact on their population. There are inklings that it is.

Where do they live?

That’s something we’re working on right now, understanding the global population. They have a huge range. They live in all tropical and temperate oceans, up farther north than the Arctic Circle, and all the way down by Cape Town in South Africa.

Sunfish look flatter and more compact than other fish. Why is that?

The only way to understand [the sunfish] is to study its ancestry. Their design has evolved to be more like an armored tank with a stiff body as opposed to a streamlined torpedo body like other fish. They just look like big puffer fish on steroids. They use mostly their fins for propulsion as opposed to wagging their body.

Sunfish can grow to be more than 10 feet long. Are they aggressive?

They’re not dangerous to people. They will bite if you’re harassing them, but they’re actually very gentle in nature, very passive.

They look lazy, but they’re really industrious. They dive up and down as much as 40 times a day. We recorded them off the Galapagos Islands diving as deep as 1,100 meters [3,600 feet].

So they don’t munch on people?

They’re actually the world’s largest jelly-eater. And people love the sunfish, it’s a lot of people’s favorite fish. There’s poetry, folklore—you can even adopt them.

May 30, 2012

Bag limits are set in order to maintain healthy fisheries. Unfortunately, some anglers fail to grasp that concept, or just don't care.

Chien Van Tran, of Otsego, was charged recently with exceeding his limit by 413 sunfish and 30 crappies. If convicted Tran faces up to a year in jail, a $3,000 fine, and the loss of fishing privileges for three years.

The angler was approached at Minnesota's Pelican Lake by warden Rick Reller. According to a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources news release, Reller spied Tran placing a bag of fish in a locked compartment of his boat before attempting to leave the lake.

When approached, according to Reller, Tran produced a cooler containing about a dozen panfish.

After questioning, Tran admitted that there were more more fish on the vessel. The tally was 134 sunfish and 19 crappies. The daily possession limit is 20 sunfish and 10 crappies.

This led to a visit to Tran's home. Inside the freezer, Reller stated, were 11 bags containing 299 sunfish and 21 crappies, bringing the total number to 413 sunfish and 30 crappies over the limit.

“I told Mr. Tran that I would be seizing all the fish," Reller said. "I also advised him that I was seizing his boat, motors, trailer, and fishing license as part of a gross misdemeanor over limit of fish."

May 09, 2012

The fishing report I received recently from Ed Kunze in Zihuatanejo has to be among the most brutally honest and depressing reports ever issued.

It refers to slow action for anglers, but what's depressing is Kunze's critical reference to a pair of sailfish tournaments in which all billfish are killed; and to an alarmingly high level of long-lining occurring off Ziuhuatanejo and to the north off Manzanillo.

Kunze, a representative for the International Game Fish Assn., is a long-time resident of Zihuatanejo and penned his report to coincide with the International Sailfish Tournament, which was held over the weekend.

That and a similar tournament off Nearby Lazero Cardenes are "the only ones I know of in the world which kills every billfish brought to the boat," Kunze writes.

Most billfish tournaments these days -- including some off Zihuatanejo -- offer incentives for catch-and-release, or penalize anglers for boating fish under a certain weight.

"They actually think they're entitled to the fish because they paid the entry fee and sport fishing license," Kunze writes of those who participated in the IST. "I remember a few years back when over 800 to a thousand sailfish were killed during this 3-day span."

It gets much worse. The fishing report includes recollections of Kunze's recent visit to Manzanillo with one of his captains, named Cheva. "What Cheva and I discovered in Manzanillo was a sport fisherman's worst nightmare. I personally saw 30 longlines -- rigged and ready to go. And, the local captains told us there were as many as 200 long lines in the pangas fishing in the area."

Zihuatanejo also is a hub for long-lining. Cheva took local residents named Don and Mary Grantges fishing, and they witnessed first-hand the destructive nature of mile-long lines with baited hooks. Turtles, dolphins and sharks were tangled in a "floating killing machine of a long line which had been cut by a large oil tanker or another large ship."

The three anglers managed to free five turtles (one of them is pictured) and a dolphin.

Of the images posted into Kunze's report he writes, "either weep, at what is really going on out there, or rejoice as a few were saved."

The report ends with this this passage: "Another note is when Mary, who is a Mexican national, went to complain about the situation with the port captain, they told her it was out of their jurisdiction, plus they were leaving for lunch at that hour and could not help her.

"Mary was really pissed... in both English and Spanish."

-- Images show a turtle and dolphin entangled in long-line fishing gear off Zihuatanejo. Both animals were freed. Credit: Ed Kunze

Mar 12, 2012

A spectacular shark feeding frenzy Monday off Perth, Australia, led to the closure of area beaches as a precautionary measure.

The event, which occurred about 2,000 feet beyond Yanchep in northern Perth, was videotaped by the crew of a sea rescue helicopter (video is posted above). Footage shows dozens of blacktip and bronze whaler sharks during a frenetic assault on schooling bait fish and small tuna.

It was a natural event but because it occurred so close to shore and involved so many sharks, beaches in the vicinity were temporarily closed.

"You normally don't see them in this number," Chris Peck, of Surf Live Saving WA, told The Australian. "Where there's bait fish, there's usually two or three of them."

Jan 12, 2012

In support of the California Department of Fish and Game and its effort to keep hunters and anglers informed, Pete Thomas Outdoors, on Thursday or Friday, posts marine biologist Carrie Wilson's weekly California Outdoors Q&A column:

Question: Isn’t it illegal for someone other than the owner of a sport crab trap to pull, move or tamper with the trap and then take the crabs from inside? What about taking someone else’s traps and buoys or cutting off the attached rope? A lot of crab thefts have been going on along the California Central Coast this year and so I have resorted to using padlocks on my trap doors to discourage the theft of the crabs inside. Is there an issue with this? (Mike W.)

Answer: It is illegal to disturb, move or damage any trap, or remove any saltwater crustacean from a trap, that belongs to another person without having written permission in possession from the owner of the trap (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.80 (a)(3) and Fish and Game Code, section 9002(a)).

Regarding the use of padlocks to secure your trap doors and discourage theft, there is no law against it but it is not advised. Unlike commercial crab traps, sport traps are not required to contain a destruct device to allow the crabs to escape in the event the trap is lost. Without this device, a lost trap will remain closed and continue fishing/killing crabs for many years to come.

From an ethical standpoint to ensure this doesn’t happen, we suggest using a closing mechanism that will eventually disintegrate and allow any trapped crabs to escape. One suggestion is to tie the lid shut with a single strand of untreated cotton twine size No. 120 or less. If you want to keep using padlocks, another option is one that commercial crabbers use. You can cut away part of the wire mesh for the trap, and then weave cotton twine in the hole large enough for the crabs to escape (for commercial traps the opening has to be five inches in diameter). This way you can still secure the trap, and if your trap is lost it will not continue fishing/killing crabs for years. It will also allow you to remove crabs should your padlock get rusted shut.

If you suspect someone is illegally disturbing your traps, be sure to report this to your local warden or through CalTIP at 1-800-334-2258.

Q: The current waterfowl season regulations show a special speck and snow goose season from Feb. 18-22 for the Balance of the State. Do people like me who belong to a duck club located in the speck closed zone (usually after Dec. 15) get to hunt specks into February? (Andre)

Dec 29, 2011

Somewhere in Antarctic waters, Japanese whalers are cheering their good fortune as Mother Nature has knocked one of the enemy's three ships out of its fight against the killing of whales.

The Brigitte Bardot, a scout boat for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was struck by a rogue wave in heavy seas as it pursued the whaling factory ship, Nisshin Maru.

According to Sea Shepherd, the vessel suffered a cracked hull and damaged pontoon. It will be escorted to Fremantle, Australia, by Capt. Paul Watson aboard the Steve Irwin. There were no injuries to any of the 10 Brigitte Bardot crew members.

This temporarily leaves only one Sea Shepherd boat, the Bob Barker, to attempt to stay with the whaling fleet as the fleet bounds toward the hunting grounds.

In the accompanying Sky News video report, Watson said the Steve Irwin will return to the Antarctic after the escort mission and rejoin a campaign the group calls "Operation Divine Wind."

"It's not going to stop our attempt, but it is a setback because it takes out one of our boats," Watson told the Associated Press.

Japan annually targets more than 900 whales in what it refers to as scientific missions, thus skirting a long-standing international moratorium on commercial whaling. The wording in the moratorium allows for lethal research.

This is Sea Shepherd's eighth campaign against the effort. Last season the whalers were forced to quit early, far short of their quota, because of Sea Shepherd's harassment efforts. This season one of the Japanese harpoon boats is carrying members of the Japan Coastguard.

These hunts are expensive and Japan has been criticized not only for continuing to hunt whales, but for funding the extra security with money earmarked for relief in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and tsunamis last March.

Sep 28, 2011

The rare invasion of large and ravenous squid off Southern California has been more like a blitz, with the slithery cephalopods showing first off San Diego and advancing at least as far north as Santa Barbara.

This has sent anglers clambering onto fishing boats for a truly wet and wild experience, but for one resident catching the mysterious denizens wasn't enough. Jon Schwartz dove in with his camera to document the experience from beneath the surface (his self-portrait is pictured below).

It was not the safest swim the grade-school teacher from Oceanside has enjoyed, and this is not something others should attempt. But Schwartz, who is an expert marine photographer, captured some incredible images and even brought a few squid to class for first-grade study.

"I asked a bunch of experts if they thought it was safe and they said it might be," Schwartz, who specializes in photographing large game fish from underwater, said of his weekend plunge.

The deep-water critters, which can measure 7 feet and weigh up to 100 pounds, are visitors from far to the the south and only show off California every 4-5 years.

These northbound forays -- perceived by some scientists as an attempt at permanent colonization -- are believed to be spurred by a warm current or some other anomaly.

A weak El Nino in 2009-10 might have spurred the recent invasion. In past episodes, the squid have shown as far north as British Columbia. They are believed to have an adverse impact on many native fisheries.

The presence of squid, however, is a boon for sportfishing landings that offer special daytime and nighttime expeditions, with night generally best because the squid -- which typically inhabit depths from 650 to 3,000 feet -- are closer to the surface and can be attracted by floodlights.

Schwartz hired a yacht to deliver him to the site of one of the bites off Newport Beach. Armed with just a camera and strobe, he dove in, adjusted his gear and began to shoot away.

As someone who has been scuba diving with Humboldt squid in the Sea of Cortez off Mexico, this reporter can attest that it's an unsettling but surreal experience. I was charged by several large squid at a depth of 60 feet. They resembled alien beings and traveled through the water at remarkable speeds, during what, thereafter, became a very short dive.

I had heard about alleged attacks by squid on humans in the Sea of Cortez, off Mexico. There also was a well-documented incident during which a diver was dragged downward and had much of his gear ripped away in what became a life-threatening frenzy.

Schwartz was interested in photographing them because they are such rare visitors to Southern California and possess an amazing ability to change color and pulsate with iridescent light, carried out via millions of chromatophores as perhaps a means of communication.

"There were some that were flashing below me that fell in love with my strobe and they were really wild," Schwartz said. "They sit there and stare at you with tentacles pitched forward in a kind of arrow."

The teacher-photographer added that he was less afraid of the squid than he was of much larger predators that patrol the ocean at night.

"I was worried about mako sharks and great white sharks, too," he said.

-- Images are courtesy of Jon Schwartz and protected by copyright laws. To read more about Schwartz's adventures, please visit his blog

Aug 31, 2011

A good fish story always seems to involve a monstrous catch or marathon battle, but perhaps more impressive is the catch of a truly tiny member of a big-game species.

Behold the sailfish in the accompanying photo. It was reeled in last Saturday off Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a Baja California angler's paradise known for its much larger billfish. It's impressive because of its rarity: People simply do not catch baby billfish.

Chris Fuller, who was aboard the Petrolero, was fishing for tuna in the Sea of Cortez and using a live sardine and 40-pound-test line. After the ravenous little sailfish grabbed the five-inch bait, it performed the typical sailfish acrobatics for a very brief period before being pulled aboard, photographed and released. (Fuller is pitured above, holding his catch.)

Its weight was estimated at about three pounds and scientists, after inspecting the photo, guessed its age at about 4 months.

Tracy Ehrenberg, general manager of Pisces Sportfishing, which has been operating off Cabo San Lucas for more than 30 years, supplied the image for this story. She had heard of only one other tiny sailfish being caught, the other a slightly larger specimen in 2009.

The 2009 catch was not released. Measuring 42.1 inches and weighing nearly 3.7 pounds, it was recorded as the smallest sailfish to have been caught aboard a sportfishing boat out of the popular resort destination. Its age was determined to be 5 months.

Of the more recent specimen, Ehrengerg said, "I have never seen a billfish so small."

Scientists say both catches are important because they prove that the region off Cabo San Lucas -- at Baja California's tip, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez -- is a nursery area for sailfish.

Fuller was using a circle hook, designed to catch in the corner of a fish's mouth to allow for safer releases. Said Ehrenberg on the Pisces blog: "After a brief five minutes on the line and posing for the paparazzi, the tiny sailfish was successfully released."

Perhaps in a few years it can be recaptured at a much larger size, and become one of those other types of fish stories.